The low down on this week's menu - the chevre and fig will also have red onions, walnuts and baby spinach.Whoopie Pie Wednesday is still a go, but the flavor is yet to be determined.Last week's limerick;There was an Egyptian named Earl,Who watched his eternity unfurl,When the Pharaoh lay dead, they embalmed him instead,The pyramidic last Duke of Earl.

Music Menu

Music Menu

What the Labor force is listening to this week- more James Blake? maybe Marty Robbins? King Khan & The Shrines?

Was Not Was.

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Another year passed and here we are. It's time for the wild violet invasion. You remember what that means, don't you?

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New Dish of the Week Profile - Creamy Red Curry Butternut Soup. roasting trays of butternut squashes is a favorite past time of ours here. We're combining them with Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, and the usual other ingredients that go into a swell soup.

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New Dish of the Week Profile - Whoopie Pies - digging out of the terrible rut we've fallen into this semester as far as whoopie pies go, this week's whoopie pies aren't going to be pumpkin! As per request, a change-up.

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New Dish of the Week Profile - Apricot Bread Pudding - as requested, we disregard our healthy-dessert-manifest with this one. Sure, heavy cream is a source of calcium. This many egg yolks will boost the iron content. Apricots contribute fiber. But seriously, who cares?

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New Dish of the Week Profile -Acorn Squash with Roasted Garlic Soup - so o.k., this isn't very new to us here, but it hasn't been profiled yet. Do we have any curious cooks in the house? Both the squash and the garlic are roasted. The shallots and celery are sauteed. The spinach is tossed in raw.Dry sherry and whatever extra dribs and drabs of milk we have are added towards the end. Seasonings are exactly what you'd expect. Mom approved. nutritional info per 8 oz. serving, based on the assumption that I'm going to find mainly skim milk dribs and 1% drabs -cal. 197, fat - 8.7g, carbs - 27g, pro - 4.3g, choles. - 22mg, sodium - 135mg

New Dish of the Week Profile - Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad - Sounds fierce, amIright? Grilled summer peaches, corn and quinoa, a lovely chia chipotle dressing, start your week off right with this one. Also including black beans, basil, pumpkin seeds, red onions, brightened up with both orange and lime juices.

New Dish of the Week Profile - Quinoa salad with edamame, cucumber and avocado - life is all about the choices that we make. After eating this green based salad with it's bright asian dressing you won't hesitate in making the choice to have a whoopie pie. Or black bottom cupcake.

New Dish of the Week Profile - Mexican Quinoa Bowl - avocado of course, quinoa, spiced black beans, salsa fresca, lime, baked tortilla chips and a cheese sauce component. Similar sounding to the Fajitas quinoa bowls we tried a couple of weeks ago, but more. And not vegan.

New Dish of the Week Profile - Avocado, Pepitas and Israeli Couscous Salad - anything with avocados in it has got to be good, right? pumpkin seeds aren't as trendy as Chia or hemp but twice as good.

New Dish of The Week Profile - Farro Salad with Dried Apricots and Feta - simple, basic and good with farro, apricots, feta, parsley, mint, lemon, oil salt and pepper.

New Dish of The Week Profile - Broccoli Hemp Slaw with Tangy Mustard Dressing - similar to traditional broccoli slaws but without the added fat and sugar. Broccoli has both vitamin A and vitamin K to help strengthen bones and the immune system plus it's a great source of vitamin D. Also in the slaw will be cauliflower, peppers, raisins, onions and hemp seeds

New Dish of the Week Profile - Vietnamese Citrus and Noodle Salad with Fresh Herbs.

The cheese stuffed Naan with spicy melon salad was a big hit on Friday. Here's what we did - mixed shredded mozzarella with freshly grated ginger root, red pepper flakes, chives and parsley. Sandwiched the cheese mixture between two 8 inch naan. Grilled until cheese melted. Off the grill they were brushed with a curry butter. Cut and serve with spicy melon salad.

O2's favorite Red Onion Pickles - one part sugar to two parts rice vinegar. large handful of smashed garlic cloves.palmful of szechuan peppercorns.palmful of fresh red pepper flakes.at least 5 pounds worth of sliced red onions.Bring everything but the onions to a hard simmer. Add in the onions, stir and cover. Simmer the pickles just until they turn that vibrant fuschia. Chill and store in the brine.

Barton's Peppered Pecans - pecans, sugar, cracked black pepper, kosher salt.
Preheat heavy skillet over high heat. Add the pecans and toss for a minute to bring the nut oils to the surface. Sprinkle half of the remaining ingredients over the nuts, toss to melt and glaze. Add the remaining seasonings and toss to melt and glaze. Spread nuts out onto a clean, dry, cool surface.

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Here's the Opus 2 recipe for clumping granola - melt 1/2 c butter, stir in 1/4 c honey and a splash of vanilla, set aside. In a large bowl, mix 4 c rolled oats with 1/2 c sunflower seeds and 2 cups almonds (whole or sliced). Toss butter/honey mix with oat mix. Add a bit of water if it seems too crumbly. Spread granola out on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Press firmly. Seriously. Cover with foil and bake at 250 degrees for about 70 minutes, or until you can smell the granola. Remove the foil and continue baking until desired shade of medium brown, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan, and when totally cool, break up into clumps. Mix in some dried cranberries or raisins. Some times we add wheat germ and/or pepitas,

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Wild Grape PieWe at O2 spent a pleasant day making a wild grape pie. Here's the recipe.Harvest at least 2 pounds worth of wild grapes. Wash and dry them carefully. Measure out 6 cups worth, and gently peel them. Put the skins in a bowl, the pulp and seeds into a saucepan. This will take a couple of hours if you have help, but it'll be a fun couple of hours.Bring the saucepan of pulp to a full, rolling boil, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Strain the seeds away from the pulp, discarding the seeds. Mix the pulp in with the skins, and between 1 and 3 tablespoons of tapioca. Place this mix of skins and rapidly thickening pulp into a refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours. While this is chilling, make a pie dough recipe of your choosing. We are fond of a basic pate brisee, heavy on the butter.When the pie dough has relaxed sufficiently, roll it out and fit it into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Remove the grape filling from refrigeration, and stir into it about a cup's worth of sugar. Scrape this filling into the bottom crust, top with a full or latticed top crust. Bake as any fruit pie, making sure you have a pan underneath it in your oven. Enjoy cool.

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O2 Onion Cheese Bisque.really.Cook up a big bunch of onions in butter over a low flame. When they are just starting to caramelize, stir in some flour. Cook off the raw flour taste, and add in milk. Lots of milk. We use an assortment of fat levels. Add in some grated cheese. We use an assortment of types. Stir, taste, season. Add in some vegetarian worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Partially puree with your wand of chaos.nutritional facts based on 2% milk and medium sharp cheddar - calories for a 12 oz serving - 315.4, fat - 21.2 g, carbs - 19.1 g, protein - 13.5 g

Dear Charlotte [crispy];Thank you for being such a loyal customer. I hope that this will help.1. Acorn Squash, Roasted Garlic and Spinach Soup -Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2 acorn squash in half, scoop seeds out. Roast squash, cut side down for about 45 minutes, until it feels tender. Roast 4 heads of garlic at the same time. In a pot, saute 2 onions in butter until starting to brown. Add 4 cups of water or vegetable broth and 2/3 c dry sherry. Add in the flesh from the squash and the roasted garlic. Puree. Add in 1 bunch of clean, chopped spinach. Heat and add salt, pepper, a little bit of fresh nutmeg, and 2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream.

2. Chinese Velvet Corn SoupIn a splash of oil, saute 4 cups of diced onions. Cook until caramelized, then add 6 cups of corn kernels and 8 cups of water. Cook a bit, then add 1 teaspoon of szechuan peppercorns, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1/2 cup dry sherry, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 teaspoons sugar, a good dollop of sambal oeleek, and some chopped chives. Remove about a third of the soup and with an immersion blender, coarsely puree what's left in the pot. Add the unpureed soup back. Dissolve 1/2 c of cornstarch in about 1/3 cup of cold water. Pour this into the hot - but not boiling- soup. Taste for and add salt.

Pesky Wild Violet InvasionIt's that time of the year again, wild violets marring the new lawn. Spraying is so politically incorrect. 'Violets contain rutin, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help strengthen capillary walls'.Eat them. Clean violets carefully. Dry thoroughly.Beat a couple of egg whites, then strain into a small bowl.Work with one violet at a time.Using a clean paintbrush, paint egg white on all surfaces of the violet. Don't get excessive, egg shouldn't be dripping.Immediately sprinkle superfine sugar over all coated surfaces.Place violet on a wax paper covered wire rack to dry.Repeat process.Flowers are extremely perishable and should generally be served fresh. Candied flowers like these wild violets will last up to a year. Do not store in the refrigerator.Today's important [p.c.] disclaimer here;Introduce flowers slowly to your diet to avoid any potential upset or allergic reaction, especially important if you have allergies to pollen.Next week - dandelion jelly.